Muddling through life with Momma, Mr & Mini

Junior Bakes Subscription Box Review – June ﻿

Do you like the idea of baking with children but aren’t sure where to start or which recipes would be suitable? We have been using Junior Bakes Boxes for a few months and have loved them.

Each box contains a little chefs hat, a bright and clear instruction card and recipe and all the dry ingredients you need, pre-weighed out and labelled. All you need to add is any wet ingredients, such as eggs, milk, butter etc.

Each month is a totally different recipe and is a lovely surprise opening the box to see what we will be baking each month. Mini, who is 4 and a half has always enjoyed joining in with me when I have been making cakes and has loved receiving this through the post just for her. The boxes fit through the letterbox which is very handy as I work full time and hate having to go to the post depot to collect parcels.

I have found that using the boxes has given me confidence to bake recipes with my daughter that I wouldn’t have thought to do. This month’s box was to make sticky iced buns, which including making and kneading the dough. I thought she would struggle but she really enjoyed getting into it.

We took our box away with us on a recent family weekend so that we could make the buns together with my niece, who is 3, and share the goodies with family afterwards.

With aprons donned and the girls taking it in turns to share the chefs hat we set off! They took it in turns to add the ingredients and both were able to mix and stir. When it came to kneading they took in turns to have a go, they were both fascinated when the dough had doubled in size after proving for an hour.

I then split the dough into two balls and then into three lumps so that each of the girls could have a go at rolling out three buns.

After they had cooked and cooled down they both decorated their own buns with the red icing and sprinkles. The red icing did end up getting a bit messy and staining fingers for a while but scrubbed off in the bath!

The girls were both really proud of what they had made and loved presenting them to the rest of the family after dinner, there were 16 of us though so we did have to chop them up to go around. Everybody commented how light and fluffy they’d come out and they disappeared in seconds.

We’ve now got the recipe card to keep for the next time we make them. I found the instructions clear and easy to follow and the girls easily understood each step. My only negative comment with this box was there was a lot of stopping and starting as the dough had to prove twice with long gaps in between, meaning we had to wash hands, put aprons on and get the girls interesting in doing the next bit three times.

Bakes boxes come in either one off boxes or as part of a subscription package and I think would make great presents for children. There are also boxes suitable for grown ups too available if you wanted to expand your baking skills and try out some new recipes.